Consumer Health Information Service:
Best Practices in Public Library
Interviews with Public Library Managers

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Consumer Health Information Service:
Best Practices in Public Library
Interviews with Public Library Managers
Kent County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ K1 K2 K3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Medical tests they are scheduled for and
prescription medications.
Have not heard a lot. Many people are
getting help from the Internet. We’re not
researching questions like we used to. We
advertise that Patty comes and we see her
with people.
Come in and ask where to find the
books. Pregnancy, cancer,
medications, medical tests. We’re
across from Christiana Care so
people come here after their medical
appointments.
Do you get a lot of health questions? Not as many as we used to. It’s hard to tell
because people don’t always ask for our
help. We don’t have a sense of whether they
are using good websites.
No, not very many. Yes, about 20 per month. I direct
them to quite a few books and
websites.
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
We have some periodicals, especially in area
of natural health—a big interest. Some
reference materials and databases from the
state.
Reference and 600s. Databases provided
by the state. I believe the collection is
sufficient. We’re not into reference books
like we used to be but also we’re not as
extensive now with the Internet.
We just got some new books. We
have a little bit of everything. Not
enough on blood tests [understanding
lab values].
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
The whole health collection overall. I wish I
had more money for a broader health
collection and could update sources more
often.
With the person in Dover and databases
provided we are well covered. Patty is
good at getting back to people.
We are trying to build slow but sure.
Wish we had more books on medical
tests, Alzheimer’s disease. Pregnancy
books always in demand and they
walk. We are trying to build a
reference collection but there is not
enough money. Reference books are
good because they are easy to copy.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Hard to recall. We have the databases saved
in ‘favorites.’ I usually send people directly
to an association’s website like the American
Cancer Society.
I just go online and Google or go to
WebMD and see what comes up for that
subject.
Yahoo or Google
Use Delaware “Go Local?” No, I am not familiar with it. No No
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
There have been times when we didn’t have
items on the shelf but it is infrequent that a
patron will come to the desk to say there is
nothing there. They just leave. I have called
the reference desk at Dover PL and had then
suggest resources. They can go out of system
If that happens, we have the advantage of
having the consumer health librarian in
Dover. We would not let people just leave
if they feel they have not been served.
Direct them to the Internet when they
come in asking for latest on MRIs
and stuff they see on tv. We direct
them to Medline or we Google it.
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LIBRARY⇒ K1 K2 K3
QUESTIONS⇓
and even out of state to get stuff for people.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes, a state agency for counseling, for
example. Only to the local agencies we know
of.
Very likely Very often because the collection is
not up-to-date
--Area hospital or medical library We haven’t done that—we can access those
resources through Patty.
Very likely Rarely
--Consumer health librarian in your
county
We do that. She is very accessible and easy
to work with and quick with her answers.
Very likely We tell them a lot. She comes on
Wednesdays and we show them how
they can mail in for help. Sometimes
people want her to mail info here for
pick up, rather than to patron’s home,
especially if it is private.
--Delaware Academy of Medicine Only through Patty. Through the consumer health librarian. No
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
Only about what databases are online.
Nothing health related. Workshops would be
a good idea so we know what’s necessary for
our collections and what’s new online.
I took reference course in the past but
none recently. We pick it up on our own.
State library has come in to talk to us
about general reference databases.
The county lady came in to show us
different sites.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
She is in the building once a month. People
are getting used to the fact that she is here.
There are brochures for people to contact her
directly.
See her once a month but we can have
contact in between.
Good, very good. She comes in once
a month from 10-12. We ask her for
help with questions. We can always
call her or email. She is easy to
reach.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
Better than it’s ever been. The librarian
comes and spends time answering questions.
In the past it was all very remote.
It is as good as how we use it. When
we’ve used it, it has been good. One
morning a month is not sufficient to get it
going. This was something of a trial—not
sure it has taken hold. Probably better in
Dover.
Good—we like it. We use it often.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
your coworkers and/or your patrons?
If we had more training. Things change so
quickly. We could use training so we know
we’re pointing them [patrons] in the right
direction.
I don’t think so. It would be good to have
more informational kits so people would
understand the service. Now I think it’s
just a brochure.
No, I think she is doing everything
she can. She has even donated books.
Leaves us a lot of brochures that we
display. She refreshes the displays.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
We have done programs, but not regularly.
Nutrition for cancer patients, parenting
classes, health issues for small children. No
outreach—all staff is needed to keep the
building open.
At times. Right now a diabetes clinic is
here once a month. I take what is offered.
No outreach.
Every so often. I can’t remember off
the top of my head. Speakers call us.
Once a month I write a column and
do press releases. I let them know she
[the health librarian] is here. We only
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LIBRARY⇒ K1 K2 K3
QUESTIONS⇓
have 6 employees, 2 FT, so we can’t
really do outreach.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
questions?
Trying to get patrons to trust us enough to
tell us their questions. No place private to
talk. We’re small and we know everyone—it
may be why people don’t come to library for
health questions.
Being assured that we give patrons the
right info—head them in the right
direction. We have one staffer who is
better at health questions—she enjoys it.
We don’t have a list [of health
websites] on paper. It would be
helpful to have a list of links--which
sites for what—that patrons could
visit. Having enough reference
materials. I send out for pamphlets--
smoking, Alzheimer’s, mental health,
depression--but we need more. These
are good, easy references for people.
Parents need more on teens and teen
suicide.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
Patty was great about going through the
collection and talking to us about what to
update. People are not looking for specific
major reference titles like family medical
guides and the PDR.
No I would like to know how to get more
pamphlets. Some are free but others
we pay for. Giveaways are
appreciated. We have pamphlet
pockets on the wall and we like to
keep them packed.
New Castle County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Come straight from their doctor’s office w/
specific disease, sometimes only half of the
name. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes.
Sometimes they are caring for someone and
need to know what they should be doing,
cooking, or prohibiting. Others: pregnancy,
ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and students
doing a report. Also, environmental concerns
related to home products and safety.
Two kinds. 1) Personal when they’ve just
come from the doctor’s office and want
more information. Want more info on
surgery or a symptom. 2) Students doing
assignments & needing multiple sources
of information.
Consumer health oriented—people
come after their doctor’s appointment
seeking additional info about a
disease. Also, self-help, weight loss,
info about a child’s condition, “my
child has x and I don’t understand it.”
Do you get a lot of health questions? A fair number—not overwhelming. I
personally refer at least one question to
Susan every day. We have a younger
population—lots of parents w/ children.
Not, not really. Maybe 1-2 per day. Yes-medium. We have really tried to
beef up our collection to respond.
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
With Susan working here, we usually have
books on all of the topics people ask us
about. She’s helped us bulk up on key topics.
We don’t have space so we keep it weeded—
Books, especially popular circulating for
diabetes, cancer, drug abuse, alcohol. We
wean people to reference for specifics.
We have a good reference collection and
It’s good overall. Our adult librarian
has done a heavy weeding of the
collection and ordered on a broad
range of topics.
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LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
this is another area she’s helped us with. good databases. When we don’t have a
book on a specific topic we go online.
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
No real deficiency, just a constant need to
monitor and buy. We do see a lot of nursing
students from Del Tech—their library
doesn’t have weekend hours. They need
journals and texts beyond our scope. This is
not an area I think we want to start collecting
in
The way we do it now is best—buy circ
books on popular health topics, basic
care. We have enough resources—people
want to look up things fast, not to check
out a lot of books.
Nothing in particular—our circ and
ref collections cover a broad range of
topics.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Susan has given us a list and I pull that out.
We have a very busy reference desk here so
there really are not opportunities to help
people extensively with web searching.
My favorite is MedlinePlus. It’s usually
the only one I use.
To the Delaware of Academy site.
Each librarian has favorites. Depends
on who you ask. We use the Ebsco
database. I try to go to the
organizations that support the
particular problem (e.g., American
Cancer Society, Lupus Society). I
think that is helpful information to
pass on to patrons.
Use Delaware “Go Local?” Yes, when it first opened. ? I don’t know it. I have looked at it a little and passed
it on to some patrons. It did not seem
comprehensive. I need to spend more
time looking at it.
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
Again, we are very busy so we are quick to
refer patrons to Susan. If she is not in the
building, we tell patrons who she is and that
she would like to help them. Most are willing
to accept the referral. Some just want what
they can get on the spot. We can’t give
private 1:1 extended service when Susan is
not available.
Rarely. What we do have are nursing
students who need more than what is in
our databases. They are looking for
textbooks b/c they don’t want to purchase
them.
Not too often. People come in for
general knowledge, to gain a comfort
level. We would offer to get
information through ILL.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes Rarely Fairly minimal. There are situations
with mental health issues when we
would pass on information (e.g.,
shelters).
--Area hospital or medical library Rarely—they are intimidating so we refer to
Susan instead.
Rarely—only upon request which has
happened only once or twice.
We refer to UDel and Academy of
Medicine occasionally.
--Consumer health librarian in your Often, especially since she is here. Rarely, people want answers on the spot. Occasionally. We pass info on but I
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LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
county have not offered to contact her on a
patron’s behalf. We are more likely
to call on her for information about
health-related programs. 1:1
reference not as much. It has not
become our habit. We need publicity
and a procedure in place for how to
put patrons in touch with her. We
don’t know if we should give out her
phone number or email.
--Delaware Academy of Medicine We did that a lot in the past but now it all
goes through Susan. She is the pathway.
Never Sometimes
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
Susan has done some training on online
databases for staff and the public. I did
something at the state some years ago.
Workshops on the databases were offered
to two librarians and the manager.
We try to take advantage of training
at the state library. We use databases
they provide. We haven’t had any in
recent years. We have not set up
training with the consumer health
librarian here. It would be more
effective if she would set up training
and say “this is what we’re offering”
rather than say “I’m happy to do
training if you need it.” We would
send staff for training if it was
scheduled.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
We have a more immediate relationship with
her because she is here. We rely heavily on
her assistance. She is very accessible.
I’m not sure what the relationship is. She
offers training. Not much contact. A lack
of knowledge—I have not really looked
into it.
She works part time out of one of our
libraries. Responsive in helping us
set up programs. She comes here for
Wellness weekday. There is not a
complete awareness. We have not
absorbed the fact that she is available
to help with patron questions.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
I’ve got nothing to base it on because we are
dealing directly with the provider, Susan. I
know there is an effort to convey the
importance of good consumer health
information. When we tell people about the
kind of help Susan can provide, they are
willing to work with her, even if she is not
available on the spot.
That it is a great resource and I should
learn more about it. The librarian comes
here and does her little programs. We’re
not promoting it enough. Not sure there is
enough interest by the public.
I think it’s good. I would be
comfortable referring and know they
would get more help than we can
give. I personally have a good feeling
about it but it is not foremost in our
minds. We could use a yearly update
on how the service works, how to
make referrals.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
We benefit by having the physical
presence—other libraries probably don’t
have the same feeling. Continued training is
I would love to receive resources—a
librarian-developed list of resources I can
hand to the public. People like to leave
Reminders that it is there so we
would remember to tell our patrons
that it is there for them.
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LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
your coworkers and/or your patrons? important—we don’t have the vocabulary.
Someone to help us make sure the book
collections are up-to-date. Must pay attention
to medical opinions that change so
frequently.
with a pamphlet, factoids.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
We have, over the years, brought in medical
people who offer programs. Programs on
financial issues are more in demand than
health programs. We don’t go out to fairs and
community events. Most of them are on
Saturdays and we’re open 7 days/week and
don’t have enough staff to send anyone out.
We recently had a program on health—
low attendance at these public programs.
Need to gauge what people are interested
in. I think people are busy and want to be
entertained at library programs. So far we
haven’t done a lot of outreach but we
should. We are located in a community
center w/ health agencies. We have no
regular contact with them but that would
be a good idea.
Quite a bit of programming. No
particular outreach. We could set up
a program at the senior center for
online health information but that
would be more the area of expertise
from the DAM or the consumer
health librarian.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
questions?
Our own education—words and terms we are
not familiar with. We do need more training.
And time is always it. Our patrons need more
time and we don’t always have it to give.
Sometimes we can, it depends on the time of
day.
Trying to keep it from getting too
personal. Patrons want to tell us too
much—sometimes they are seeking
advice. The databases can be a little
challenging; people need a lot of help and
instruction to use them.
There is always that feeling that
patrons want us to give them a
diagnosis. We stress that we cannot
give them medical advice.
Sometimes the information is too
difficult to understand. Sometimes
people just want a friendly face. We
hear about stuff in much greater
detail than we want to. We have to
learn how to be empathetic but also
pull back. Some staff is more
experienced at staying on top of
resources. Some go straight to
reference books and others to the
Internet. The challenge is knowing if
everyone [on staff] is providing the
same level of service and using the
same spectrum of sources.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
No. We are probably dealing with issues
similar to other libraries of the same size.
No We have a pretty strong collection
because one of our librarians puts a
strong focus on health. The consumer
health librarian was impressed with
our collection. We’ve had a pretty
good materials budget though lately
we’ve had to spend more money on
part-time staff and it has eaten into
our materials budget a little.
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Sussex County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Medicaid and Medicare. Looking for
resources on diabetes and diagnoses. Also
pregnancy & those books don’t come back.
General, basic info. Person just got a
diagnosis or new medication and wants to
know more. Use the PDR. There is
interest in alternative medicine, especially
among the Mennonite community.
Usually related to conditions and
diseases. Also nutrition and fitness.
Do you get a lot of health questions? Depends on time of year. 7-10 per month. No, not that I sense. A couple a month. May get a question or two. Not
always a specific question but “do
you have books on x.”
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
Pregnancy, diabetes, diseases. Cancer. We’re mindful when we purchase
that many people are diagnosed with
cancer. I recently weeded out diabetes
books that were donated. They were
pristine and unused, but too old.
Print collection—we manage this the
most, but not well recently. We have
access to databases through the state.
Trying to fill in gaps with help of
Linda Leonard.
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
All diseases. And pregnancy. We would like
to have something on pregnancy we could
give people to keep.
We really want to give attention to all
areas.
All subjects. It’s been awhile since
we’ve concentrated on health—the
collection is aging.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Databases are fantastic—they come from the
Division. We are using them a lot. We try to
stay away from general Internet searches.
Staff is unsure of which sites are viable so
we stick with the databases.
WebMD. I recommend this to my staff. I
think there are some NIH resources but
I’ve never used them. I’ve used
WebMD—it’s accurate. I don’t know if
we have a health database. Only Ebsco
general magazine articles.
WebMD
Use Delaware “Go Local?” No I haven’t looked at it. Yes, but I forget it exists.
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
Doesn’t happen very often. A couple of
times Linda has been here to take on those
questions. Delmar is a very private place—
people don’t bother asking, they look on
their own.
It does happen. I encourage our patrons to
go into more depth. It’s important that
they know. We used to send requests to
the Academy but now we take the patron
to the Internet and counsel them on the
best sites. Also refer patrons to our health
librarian if they can wait for the visit.
Occasionally. We refer them to
Linda. We have Nanticoke Library
near but they no longer have a
consumer health librarian. We refer
to Linda—there is a form or we
email her with a question and the
patron’s contact information.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes, if we have pamphlets from the
local agency and/or we are aware of the
agency.
Rarely Rarely
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LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
--Area hospital or medical library Rarely Rarely Rarely
--Consumer health librarian in your
county
Yes, we do that. We give out her number or
pass along a question. But we don’t think
patrons follow-up on the referral.
More frequently Sometimes
--Delaware Academy of Medicine No Not as often anymore. We don’t really do
that anymore.
Rarely
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
If there have been any, I don’t know of them.
They tend to be further north. Training in
Dover doesn’t make sense for us. We don’t
have the coverage—1.5 hour drive each way
for a 2 hour training program is not viable.
Some but not enough. Someone from the
Academy came to a meeting once to talk
about what they do there. It was not very
helpful.
We’ve had a year or so ago an
introduction to MedlinePlus/WebMD
training. It was coordinated by the
Delaware Division of Libraries in a
central location.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
I don’t know if it’s a relationship. We are
aware and we consider her a resource and we
have no problems talking to her. She’s
helping us with our collection. I don’t think
she is being used by our patrons because of
the type of community we are [private].
Very, very good. Helpful. Forthcoming,
offers before we ask. Comes 1x per
month. Contact in between only if we
need it.
It’s pretty good. Linda is helpful and
gets back timely. Comes once a
month and keeps us up-to-date.
Mostly works with staff, showing us
resources or helping with patron
questions we bring her.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
I think it’s a good service and is better used
in other places. Maybe we need to create
programs and see how they go over. We’d
like to have a health fair but don’t know if
we would have a turnout.
They have got a good thing started.
Would like to see them do more—spend
more time in our library. More promotion
is needed—it’s like a hidden treasure.
Terrific. Excellent to have a go-to
resource. So nice to know there is an
authority we can go to—a partner for
us.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
your coworkers and/or your patrons?
I don’t know. She’s here, it’s advertised, we
can provide a quiet place, it’s just not
working.
More time here and more promotion w/
understanding that they are there to
answer questions objectively and in full
confidence.
Instant message reference or health
reference tied to Question Point. If
we could instantly answer questions
it would be better than “someone will
get back to you.” With the consumer
health service, we make the contact
for the patrons, but they [patrons]
don’t want to be referred or to have
to wait for an answer.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
Have had general q&a programs for health
info topics w/ pamphlets and resources. Poor
attendance.
We just had a program on showing people
how to organize their medical record. We
have the mammogram van. Try to offer
something quarterly. Outreach—health
info outreach only included within
general outreach—we don’t do much
outreach except to children (schools,
daycare).
Occasionally an adult program, talks
on medical topics, holistic topics. 1-2
per year. Rarely do we get out.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
Getting them to ask those questions—people
are in the stacks but would rather browse
than ask. Staff do not feel prepared to help
Finding info people need when they don’t
know what they need. They can’t
verbalize what they need. Things are
Up-to-date resources for patron
needs. Getting to the exact
information patrons want. Are we
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LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
questions? with most [health] questions patrons have.
We don’t have a good list of resources.
changing quickly. Internet is great but
people need something in print they can
take home. If we don’t have it, they have
to wait. We don’t have shelf space or
budget to have enough print materials.
Annie said we should weed but didn’t say
there would be money to replace books.
There is a real gap there and that is the
most important thing.
giving medical advice when the
patron doesn’t know what question to
ask? Time to work with people to be
sure they get the right sources.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
Even though we are a Delaware library, ½ of
our patrons come from Maryland.
I’ve seen a trend—seems like docs are
more aware of providing info—even the
pharmacists, but they are rushed and
don’t have time to explain.
We have a shelf with brochures,
including health brochures.

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Page 1 of 9
Consumer Health Information Service:
Best Practices in Public Library
Interviews with Public Library Managers
Kent County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ K1 K2 K3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Medical tests they are scheduled for and
prescription medications.
Have not heard a lot. Many people are
getting help from the Internet. We’re not
researching questions like we used to. We
advertise that Patty comes and we see her
with people.
Come in and ask where to find the
books. Pregnancy, cancer,
medications, medical tests. We’re
across from Christiana Care so
people come here after their medical
appointments.
Do you get a lot of health questions? Not as many as we used to. It’s hard to tell
because people don’t always ask for our
help. We don’t have a sense of whether they
are using good websites.
No, not very many. Yes, about 20 per month. I direct
them to quite a few books and
websites.
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
We have some periodicals, especially in area
of natural health—a big interest. Some
reference materials and databases from the
state.
Reference and 600s. Databases provided
by the state. I believe the collection is
sufficient. We’re not into reference books
like we used to be but also we’re not as
extensive now with the Internet.
We just got some new books. We
have a little bit of everything. Not
enough on blood tests [understanding
lab values].
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
The whole health collection overall. I wish I
had more money for a broader health
collection and could update sources more
often.
With the person in Dover and databases
provided we are well covered. Patty is
good at getting back to people.
We are trying to build slow but sure.
Wish we had more books on medical
tests, Alzheimer’s disease. Pregnancy
books always in demand and they
walk. We are trying to build a
reference collection but there is not
enough money. Reference books are
good because they are easy to copy.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Hard to recall. We have the databases saved
in ‘favorites.’ I usually send people directly
to an association’s website like the American
Cancer Society.
I just go online and Google or go to
WebMD and see what comes up for that
subject.
Yahoo or Google
Use Delaware “Go Local?” No, I am not familiar with it. No No
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
There have been times when we didn’t have
items on the shelf but it is infrequent that a
patron will come to the desk to say there is
nothing there. They just leave. I have called
the reference desk at Dover PL and had then
suggest resources. They can go out of system
If that happens, we have the advantage of
having the consumer health librarian in
Dover. We would not let people just leave
if they feel they have not been served.
Direct them to the Internet when they
come in asking for latest on MRIs
and stuff they see on tv. We direct
them to Medline or we Google it.
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LIBRARY⇒ K1 K2 K3
QUESTIONS⇓
and even out of state to get stuff for people.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes, a state agency for counseling, for
example. Only to the local agencies we know
of.
Very likely Very often because the collection is
not up-to-date
--Area hospital or medical library We haven’t done that—we can access those
resources through Patty.
Very likely Rarely
--Consumer health librarian in your
county
We do that. She is very accessible and easy
to work with and quick with her answers.
Very likely We tell them a lot. She comes on
Wednesdays and we show them how
they can mail in for help. Sometimes
people want her to mail info here for
pick up, rather than to patron’s home,
especially if it is private.
--Delaware Academy of Medicine Only through Patty. Through the consumer health librarian. No
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
Only about what databases are online.
Nothing health related. Workshops would be
a good idea so we know what’s necessary for
our collections and what’s new online.
I took reference course in the past but
none recently. We pick it up on our own.
State library has come in to talk to us
about general reference databases.
The county lady came in to show us
different sites.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
She is in the building once a month. People
are getting used to the fact that she is here.
There are brochures for people to contact her
directly.
See her once a month but we can have
contact in between.
Good, very good. She comes in once
a month from 10-12. We ask her for
help with questions. We can always
call her or email. She is easy to
reach.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
Better than it’s ever been. The librarian
comes and spends time answering questions.
In the past it was all very remote.
It is as good as how we use it. When
we’ve used it, it has been good. One
morning a month is not sufficient to get it
going. This was something of a trial—not
sure it has taken hold. Probably better in
Dover.
Good—we like it. We use it often.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
your coworkers and/or your patrons?
If we had more training. Things change so
quickly. We could use training so we know
we’re pointing them [patrons] in the right
direction.
I don’t think so. It would be good to have
more informational kits so people would
understand the service. Now I think it’s
just a brochure.
No, I think she is doing everything
she can. She has even donated books.
Leaves us a lot of brochures that we
display. She refreshes the displays.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
We have done programs, but not regularly.
Nutrition for cancer patients, parenting
classes, health issues for small children. No
outreach—all staff is needed to keep the
building open.
At times. Right now a diabetes clinic is
here once a month. I take what is offered.
No outreach.
Every so often. I can’t remember off
the top of my head. Speakers call us.
Once a month I write a column and
do press releases. I let them know she
[the health librarian] is here. We only
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have 6 employees, 2 FT, so we can’t
really do outreach.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
questions?
Trying to get patrons to trust us enough to
tell us their questions. No place private to
talk. We’re small and we know everyone—it
may be why people don’t come to library for
health questions.
Being assured that we give patrons the
right info—head them in the right
direction. We have one staffer who is
better at health questions—she enjoys it.
We don’t have a list [of health
websites] on paper. It would be
helpful to have a list of links--which
sites for what—that patrons could
visit. Having enough reference
materials. I send out for pamphlets--
smoking, Alzheimer’s, mental health,
depression--but we need more. These
are good, easy references for people.
Parents need more on teens and teen
suicide.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
Patty was great about going through the
collection and talking to us about what to
update. People are not looking for specific
major reference titles like family medical
guides and the PDR.
No I would like to know how to get more
pamphlets. Some are free but others
we pay for. Giveaways are
appreciated. We have pamphlet
pockets on the wall and we like to
keep them packed.
New Castle County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Come straight from their doctor’s office w/
specific disease, sometimes only half of the
name. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes.
Sometimes they are caring for someone and
need to know what they should be doing,
cooking, or prohibiting. Others: pregnancy,
ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and students
doing a report. Also, environmental concerns
related to home products and safety.
Two kinds. 1) Personal when they’ve just
come from the doctor’s office and want
more information. Want more info on
surgery or a symptom. 2) Students doing
assignments & needing multiple sources
of information.
Consumer health oriented—people
come after their doctor’s appointment
seeking additional info about a
disease. Also, self-help, weight loss,
info about a child’s condition, “my
child has x and I don’t understand it.”
Do you get a lot of health questions? A fair number—not overwhelming. I
personally refer at least one question to
Susan every day. We have a younger
population—lots of parents w/ children.
Not, not really. Maybe 1-2 per day. Yes-medium. We have really tried to
beef up our collection to respond.
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
With Susan working here, we usually have
books on all of the topics people ask us
about. She’s helped us bulk up on key topics.
We don’t have space so we keep it weeded—
Books, especially popular circulating for
diabetes, cancer, drug abuse, alcohol. We
wean people to reference for specifics.
We have a good reference collection and
It’s good overall. Our adult librarian
has done a heavy weeding of the
collection and ordered on a broad
range of topics.
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this is another area she’s helped us with. good databases. When we don’t have a
book on a specific topic we go online.
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
No real deficiency, just a constant need to
monitor and buy. We do see a lot of nursing
students from Del Tech—their library
doesn’t have weekend hours. They need
journals and texts beyond our scope. This is
not an area I think we want to start collecting
in
The way we do it now is best—buy circ
books on popular health topics, basic
care. We have enough resources—people
want to look up things fast, not to check
out a lot of books.
Nothing in particular—our circ and
ref collections cover a broad range of
topics.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Susan has given us a list and I pull that out.
We have a very busy reference desk here so
there really are not opportunities to help
people extensively with web searching.
My favorite is MedlinePlus. It’s usually
the only one I use.
To the Delaware of Academy site.
Each librarian has favorites. Depends
on who you ask. We use the Ebsco
database. I try to go to the
organizations that support the
particular problem (e.g., American
Cancer Society, Lupus Society). I
think that is helpful information to
pass on to patrons.
Use Delaware “Go Local?” Yes, when it first opened. ? I don’t know it. I have looked at it a little and passed
it on to some patrons. It did not seem
comprehensive. I need to spend more
time looking at it.
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
Again, we are very busy so we are quick to
refer patrons to Susan. If she is not in the
building, we tell patrons who she is and that
she would like to help them. Most are willing
to accept the referral. Some just want what
they can get on the spot. We can’t give
private 1:1 extended service when Susan is
not available.
Rarely. What we do have are nursing
students who need more than what is in
our databases. They are looking for
textbooks b/c they don’t want to purchase
them.
Not too often. People come in for
general knowledge, to gain a comfort
level. We would offer to get
information through ILL.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes Rarely Fairly minimal. There are situations
with mental health issues when we
would pass on information (e.g.,
shelters).
--Area hospital or medical library Rarely—they are intimidating so we refer to
Susan instead.
Rarely—only upon request which has
happened only once or twice.
We refer to UDel and Academy of
Medicine occasionally.
--Consumer health librarian in your Often, especially since she is here. Rarely, people want answers on the spot. Occasionally. We pass info on but I
Page 5 of 9
LIBRARY⇒ NC1 NC2 NC3
QUESTIONS⇓
county have not offered to contact her on a
patron’s behalf. We are more likely
to call on her for information about
health-related programs. 1:1
reference not as much. It has not
become our habit. We need publicity
and a procedure in place for how to
put patrons in touch with her. We
don’t know if we should give out her
phone number or email.
--Delaware Academy of Medicine We did that a lot in the past but now it all
goes through Susan. She is the pathway.
Never Sometimes
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
Susan has done some training on online
databases for staff and the public. I did
something at the state some years ago.
Workshops on the databases were offered
to two librarians and the manager.
We try to take advantage of training
at the state library. We use databases
they provide. We haven’t had any in
recent years. We have not set up
training with the consumer health
librarian here. It would be more
effective if she would set up training
and say “this is what we’re offering”
rather than say “I’m happy to do
training if you need it.” We would
send staff for training if it was
scheduled.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
We have a more immediate relationship with
her because she is here. We rely heavily on
her assistance. She is very accessible.
I’m not sure what the relationship is. She
offers training. Not much contact. A lack
of knowledge—I have not really looked
into it.
She works part time out of one of our
libraries. Responsive in helping us
set up programs. She comes here for
Wellness weekday. There is not a
complete awareness. We have not
absorbed the fact that she is available
to help with patron questions.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
I’ve got nothing to base it on because we are
dealing directly with the provider, Susan. I
know there is an effort to convey the
importance of good consumer health
information. When we tell people about the
kind of help Susan can provide, they are
willing to work with her, even if she is not
available on the spot.
That it is a great resource and I should
learn more about it. The librarian comes
here and does her little programs. We’re
not promoting it enough. Not sure there is
enough interest by the public.
I think it’s good. I would be
comfortable referring and know they
would get more help than we can
give. I personally have a good feeling
about it but it is not foremost in our
minds. We could use a yearly update
on how the service works, how to
make referrals.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
We benefit by having the physical
presence—other libraries probably don’t
have the same feeling. Continued training is
I would love to receive resources—a
librarian-developed list of resources I can
hand to the public. People like to leave
Reminders that it is there so we
would remember to tell our patrons
that it is there for them.
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QUESTIONS⇓
your coworkers and/or your patrons? important—we don’t have the vocabulary.
Someone to help us make sure the book
collections are up-to-date. Must pay attention
to medical opinions that change so
frequently.
with a pamphlet, factoids.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
We have, over the years, brought in medical
people who offer programs. Programs on
financial issues are more in demand than
health programs. We don’t go out to fairs and
community events. Most of them are on
Saturdays and we’re open 7 days/week and
don’t have enough staff to send anyone out.
We recently had a program on health—
low attendance at these public programs.
Need to gauge what people are interested
in. I think people are busy and want to be
entertained at library programs. So far we
haven’t done a lot of outreach but we
should. We are located in a community
center w/ health agencies. We have no
regular contact with them but that would
be a good idea.
Quite a bit of programming. No
particular outreach. We could set up
a program at the senior center for
online health information but that
would be more the area of expertise
from the DAM or the consumer
health librarian.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
questions?
Our own education—words and terms we are
not familiar with. We do need more training.
And time is always it. Our patrons need more
time and we don’t always have it to give.
Sometimes we can, it depends on the time of
day.
Trying to keep it from getting too
personal. Patrons want to tell us too
much—sometimes they are seeking
advice. The databases can be a little
challenging; people need a lot of help and
instruction to use them.
There is always that feeling that
patrons want us to give them a
diagnosis. We stress that we cannot
give them medical advice.
Sometimes the information is too
difficult to understand. Sometimes
people just want a friendly face. We
hear about stuff in much greater
detail than we want to. We have to
learn how to be empathetic but also
pull back. Some staff is more
experienced at staying on top of
resources. Some go straight to
reference books and others to the
Internet. The challenge is knowing if
everyone [on staff] is providing the
same level of service and using the
same spectrum of sources.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
No. We are probably dealing with issues
similar to other libraries of the same size.
No We have a pretty strong collection
because one of our librarians puts a
strong focus on health. The consumer
health librarian was impressed with
our collection. We’ve had a pretty
good materials budget though lately
we’ve had to spend more money on
part-time staff and it has eaten into
our materials budget a little.
Page 7 of 9
Sussex County Libraries
LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
What kinds of health questions do
your patrons ask?
Medicaid and Medicare. Looking for
resources on diabetes and diagnoses. Also
pregnancy & those books don’t come back.
General, basic info. Person just got a
diagnosis or new medication and wants to
know more. Use the PDR. There is
interest in alternative medicine, especially
among the Mennonite community.
Usually related to conditions and
diseases. Also nutrition and fitness.
Do you get a lot of health questions? Depends on time of year. 7-10 per month. No, not that I sense. A couple a month. May get a question or two. Not
always a specific question but “do
you have books on x.”
In which subject areas is your health
collection the strongest?
Pregnancy, diabetes, diseases. Cancer. We’re mindful when we purchase
that many people are diagnosed with
cancer. I recently weeded out diabetes
books that were donated. They were
pristine and unused, but too old.
Print collection—we manage this the
most, but not well recently. We have
access to databases through the state.
Trying to fill in gaps with help of
Linda Leonard.
What health subjects would you like
to improve in your collection?
All diseases. And pregnancy. We would like
to have something on pregnancy we could
give people to keep.
We really want to give attention to all
areas.
All subjects. It’s been awhile since
we’ve concentrated on health—the
collection is aging.
What are some of the online
resources you turn to for answering
health questions?
Databases are fantastic—they come from the
Division. We are using them a lot. We try to
stay away from general Internet searches.
Staff is unsure of which sites are viable so
we stick with the databases.
WebMD. I recommend this to my staff. I
think there are some NIH resources but
I’ve never used them. I’ve used
WebMD—it’s accurate. I don’t know if
we have a health database. Only Ebsco
general magazine articles.
WebMD
Use Delaware “Go Local?” No I haven’t looked at it. Yes, but I forget it exists.
How frequently do your patrons need
more detailed information than what
is available at your library? How do
you handle those situations?
Doesn’t happen very often. A couple of
times Linda has been here to take on those
questions. Delmar is a very private place—
people don’t bother asking, they look on
their own.
It does happen. I encourage our patrons to
go into more depth. It’s important that
they know. We used to send requests to
the Academy but now we take the patron
to the Internet and counsel them on the
best sites. Also refer patrons to our health
librarian if they can wait for the visit.
Occasionally. We refer them to
Linda. We have Nanticoke Library
near but they no longer have a
consumer health librarian. We refer
to Linda—there is a form or we
email her with a question and the
patron’s contact information.
Using a scale of Very Often,
Sometimes, or Rarely, how
frequently do you refer patrons to the
following sources/services when they
need more information?
--Local health or human services
agency
Sometimes, if we have pamphlets from the
local agency and/or we are aware of the
agency.
Rarely Rarely
Page 8 of 9
LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
--Area hospital or medical library Rarely Rarely Rarely
--Consumer health librarian in your
county
Yes, we do that. We give out her number or
pass along a question. But we don’t think
patrons follow-up on the referral.
More frequently Sometimes
--Delaware Academy of Medicine No Not as often anymore. We don’t really do
that anymore.
Rarely
What kinds of health/medical
reference training opportunities have
been provided to you and/or your
coworkers?
If there have been any, I don’t know of them.
They tend to be further north. Training in
Dover doesn’t make sense for us. We don’t
have the coverage—1.5 hour drive each way
for a 2 hour training program is not viable.
Some but not enough. Someone from the
Academy came to a meeting once to talk
about what they do there. It was not very
helpful.
We’ve had a year or so ago an
introduction to MedlinePlus/WebMD
training. It was coordinated by the
Delaware Division of Libraries in a
central location.
What is the nature of your contact or
relationship with Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service?
I don’t know if it’s a relationship. We are
aware and we consider her a resource and we
have no problems talking to her. She’s
helping us with our collection. I don’t think
she is being used by our patrons because of
the type of community we are [private].
Very, very good. Helpful. Forthcoming,
offers before we ask. Comes 1x per
month. Contact in between only if we
need it.
It’s pretty good. Linda is helpful and
gets back timely. Comes once a
month and keeps us up-to-date.
Mostly works with staff, showing us
resources or helping with patron
questions we bring her.
What is your overall impression of
Delaware’s Consumer Health
Information Service?
I think it’s a good service and is better used
in other places. Maybe we need to create
programs and see how they go over. We’d
like to have a health fair but don’t know if
we would have a turnout.
They have got a good thing started.
Would like to see them do more—spend
more time in our library. More promotion
is needed—it’s like a hidden treasure.
Terrific. Excellent to have a go-to
resource. So nice to know there is an
authority we can go to—a partner for
us.
Are there ways in which Delaware’s
Consumer Health Information
Service could be more helpful to you,
your coworkers and/or your patrons?
I don’t know. She’s here, it’s advertised, we
can provide a quiet place, it’s just not
working.
More time here and more promotion w/
understanding that they are there to
answer questions objectively and in full
confidence.
Instant message reference or health
reference tied to Question Point. If
we could instantly answer questions
it would be better than “someone will
get back to you.” With the consumer
health service, we make the contact
for the patrons, but they [patrons]
don’t want to be referred or to have
to wait for an answer.
Does your library provide any public
programs or outreach related to
health information?
Have had general q&a programs for health
info topics w/ pamphlets and resources. Poor
attendance.
We just had a program on showing people
how to organize their medical record. We
have the mammogram van. Try to offer
something quarterly. Outreach—health
info outreach only included within
general outreach—we don’t do much
outreach except to children (schools,
daycare).
Occasionally an adult program, talks
on medical topics, holistic topics. 1-2
per year. Rarely do we get out.
What are the greatest challenges
that you and/or your coworkers face
when helping patrons with health
Getting them to ask those questions—people
are in the stacks but would rather browse
than ask. Staff do not feel prepared to help
Finding info people need when they don’t
know what they need. They can’t
verbalize what they need. Things are
Up-to-date resources for patron
needs. Getting to the exact
information patrons want. Are we
Page 9 of 9
LIBRARY⇒ S1 S2 S3
QUESTIONS⇓
questions? with most [health] questions patrons have.
We don’t have a good list of resources.
changing quickly. Internet is great but
people need something in print they can
take home. If we don’t have it, they have
to wait. We don’t have shelf space or
budget to have enough print materials.
Annie said we should weed but didn’t say
there would be money to replace books.
There is a real gap there and that is the
most important thing.
giving medical advice when the
patron doesn’t know what question to
ask? Time to work with people to be
sure they get the right sources.
Is there anything I should know
about health information at your
library that I have not asked about?
Even though we are a Delaware library, ½ of
our patrons come from Maryland.
I’ve seen a trend—seems like docs are
more aware of providing info—even the
pharmacists, but they are rushed and
don’t have time to explain.
We have a shelf with brochures,
including health brochures.

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